Savannah Bananas players trade the ballpark for a night of worship in College Station

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – While 1000’s of followers counted down the hours till Saturday’s sold-out Savannah Bananas recreation at Kyle Field, a group of players spent their Friday night doing one thing a little completely different — bringing their religion to the Brazos Valley.

Savannah Bananas participant Coach RAC, together with a number of teammates and players from the Texas Tailgaters, hosted a free group worship night at Central Church in College Station on Friday as half of their touring religion motion, Sandlot Revival.

The coronary heart behind Sandlot Revival

For Coach RAC, the night was about one thing far higher than baseball.

“The only thing that will satisfy your soul is the relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is the heart behind this,” RAC mentioned.

Sandlot Revival started as a group Bible research in 2024 earlier than launching as a formal, city-to-city worship tour in 2025. Since then, the motion has reached greater than 5,000 individuals throughout the nation.

RAC mentioned the concept to convey worship nights to each metropolis the Bananas go to was one thing he felt known as to do.

“We’re traveling to so many different cities all over the country, and I thought, what if we had a worship night in every city that we go to?” Cruz mentioned. “The objective is simple. We don’t care if 10 people show up or 5,000 people show up. It’s about connecting people in every city we go to with their local churches and presenting them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Cruz additionally mirrored on what the night means personally for him and his teammates, who are sometimes away from their residence church buildings whereas on the highway.

“We often don’t get to be part of a local church because we’re on the road so much,” Cruz mentioned. “To be able to sing songs of praise and read scripture together, it feels like we’re connected to the greater body of Christ.”

Central Church opens its doorways

Central Church Lead Pastor Philip Bethencourt mentioned he was thrilled to host the occasion and welcomed the alternative to convey the group collectively round religion.

“Tonight’s not about baseball, it’s about worshiping Jesus and making his name known,” Bethencourt mentioned.

Bethencourt added that one of the highlights of the night was listening to the private testimonies of the players.

“So often people can see them on the big screen and think they might have had perfect lives or easy backgrounds,” Bethencourt mentioned. “But the Lord has really shown them up and taken them in a new direction through a relationship with Jesus, and we’re going to get to hear all about that tonight.”

Bethencourt mentioned partnering with the Savannah Bananas players was an thrilling alternative to share a message that goes past the ballpark.

“We love every chance we can get to bring our community together to share with them the life-changing message of relationship with Jesus,” Bethencourt mentioned. “To partner with some of the players is just an exciting opportunity.”

For younger followers like Beau Montgomery, Friday night was a probability to worship alongside the players they admire.

“It’s a great way to worship God, and I love that we get to experience this with all my friends and really everyone who wants to watch them,” Montgomery mentioned.

A Message Beyond the Game

Coach RAC closed with a message for anybody watching or following alongside.

“The most important thing in this world is not you, it is the God who created you,” Cruz mentioned. “If we can learn that we are loved by a holy God and we don’t have to do anything to earn his favor, but Jesus has accomplished everything on the cross, then we will live a life that is far less us-centered, and we can serve other people in a way that’ll be nourishing to our souls in a way we didn’t even realize.”

Weekend full of enjoyable

The Savannah Bananas will take the area Saturday night at Kyle Field in College Station. Gates open at 4:30 pm, the present is anticipated to begin at 6:30 pm and first pitch is about for 7 pm The recreation is anticipated to attract greater than 100,000 followers.